The Washington Nationals traded Steven Souza to the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month, making Michael A. Taylor a very important part of the organization.

Souza was Washington's most Major League-ready outfielder, a role now filled by Taylor.

Mike Rizzo said he felt he could absorb the loss of Souza because of the depth of outfield talent behind him in the Washington system. He added that he feels Taylor is only "a half a year" behind Souza in terms of development.